Following IDPADA-G’s move to the Court to order government to pay the remainder of allocated funds for 2022 to the organization, the Attorney General’s Chambers has asked it for a breakdown of specific expenditures over a four-year period.
The International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly-Guyana (IDPADA-G) is the local group established for observances of the United Nations-declared celebration. Funds allotted to it have recently become the subject of controversy between it and the PPP/C government.
“We are of the considered view that the Fixed Date Application is inadequately particularized and the Affidavits in Support thereof do not disclose the relevant supporting documents to enable us to advance a full defence to the Fixed Date Application,” a letter to Attorney for IDPADA-G, Nigel Hughes, from the Attorney General, Anil Nandlall SC stated.
“In the premises and based upon the Audited Financial Statements of the Applicant for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2019 and 2020, we hereby request the following particulars and supporting documents which are or ought to be in the possession or control of your client…,” it adds.
Categories listed for the breakdown were Salaries, Wages and Allowances; Conference expenses and field materials; Travelling and Transportation; Building rentals and utilities; Meals and refreshments; Training and assistance/scholarships and Repairs and maintenance.
For salaries, wages and allowances $15.5M, $38.8M and $42.8M were spent for the respective years of 2018, 2019 and 2020. For training and scholarships, the respective sums by year were $1.3M [2020], $2M [2019], $2M and $1.3M [2018]. Office expenses for 2020 were pegged at $9.1M, $6.3M for 2019 and $3.4M for 2018. In the area of travel, in 2020 it was $2.8M, $8.6M [2019] and $5.3M [2018].
IDPADA-G had cited the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Charles Ramson Jr, the Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh and Attorney General Nandlall for breach of contract and a violation of the principle of legitimate expectation. While acknowledging that the government is not mandated to provide it with funding, IDPADA-G had last October said that it was considering legal action to force the reinstatement of its $8 million monthly subvention for the remainder of 2022. The action was subsequently filed.
IDPADA-G’s Chairman, Vincent Alexander, contends that over $8M, which was given to the body, was abruptly cut off last September because it had offended government in one of its statements.
In the letter dispatched to Hughes, the Attorney General says that to adequately respond to the matter, the financial breakdown was needed as a number of complaints were made to the defendants that the monies were not used as intended. If the information requested isn’t provided, the Attorney General said that “the necessary application would be made to the Court for an extension of time to serve and file the Affidavit in Defence.”
“Among the disaffection and concerns raised, were complaints that the monies disbursed to the Applicant: (i) were/are not spent for the purpose for which they were disbursed; (ii) most of the monies were/are spent on official and operational expenses, including, paying to a few, large salaries; (iii) that the principals of the Applicant surreptitiously converted a broad-based representative organisation comprising of a wide cross-section of Afro-Guyanese organisations and persons into a very closed-knit private limited liability company of a selected few persons; (iv) that there is no accountable, inclusive, transparent and consultative process with stakeholder organisations on how the public funds disbursed to the Applicant are spent or are to be spent;” the letter stated.
Another complaint the letter cited is “(v) that the expenditure of these monies are determined and done by an elitist few and in a manner not benefitting ordinary Afro-Guyanese across the country; (vi) that over five hundred million dollars of public funds have been expended by the Applicant from 2017 to 2022, with little or no tangible benefits to the ordinary Afro-Guyanese or their organisations… Additionally, we are further instructed by the Second Named Respondent that the Applicant never informed the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport of the use to which these public funds are put upon the request of the said Ministry. In fact, it was only in the year 2022 that Financial Statements were provided to the Second Named Respondent, upon his request; and the years submitted were 2018, 2019 and 2020.”
